STARTLING EXPOSURE OF INNER LIFE OF KAISER AND CROWN PRINCE AS
TOLD BY COUNT ERNST VON HELTZENDORFF TO WILLIAM LEQUEUX
\OTE. — Uilllaiat lr
gfa# . % krre rhr«>BI flea for bla
frirt1 4 *»•! I.rtb %oa llrlt tea dorff.
tbr *!trr‘a mriaii«ba of tbr iaarr
lifir t tbr Imperial t.ervtiaa court. kaa
aa bra rrmsalartl ihr«>Bgbnut Kaa
repr pa tbr p—aaroaor of Ita iaorriiiual
•rrtrla
rbr I aglUb “b bo a 1% bo** aafa of
fetaa; -Mo baa latlmatr kaovt lr«ier of
tbr Of ret on lee of I oaiiaeofal <-«*un
trtra aod la rwaal4rre4 by tbr g®»rr»
aartt . f t.rrat llrlt ala « aa authority ou
• b matter* %»otbrr authority aaya:
-# era people ha%r bee a morr eloarly aa*
aorta led aaltb or kaoo mo-e of tbr
aaotouadtac Iaarr auMkiarry of tier
■Bay tkaa br. *
Udfyrat probably baa morr aoarrea
of orret taformalioa at bta command
tkaa auay routemparary la r!»II life, aad
for tkr last ala yeara tbr Brltlab <■«»
rrameat baa ammdr taiuablr uae of bla
«aat afore of arc ret lalormatloa through
a ape* tally orgaaltrf 4ryartt»rai oltb
«■ kkrk ir«4«rBi w»orka aa a toluatary
aaolaiaat
* ouat * oa Hrlt«ra4wrff brramr aa !■
tlaaatr of lrt|arat ararral yeara prior
to tbr outbreak of tkr aar; br baa bee a
U* las la rrttrrmrai la Kraarr miner
tagMf mu. aid It aaa there that Lr
Harat rrrrltrf from tbr rraua prlare’a
late peroooal afjafaai permlaaloa to
make pub Hr t bear rrarlalloaa of tbr
Iaarr Ufr of tbr Hubraiollrra*— tbat
tbr 4roorsrlra of tbr world u>l«bt
eomr to kaoa tbr rral. but heretofore
b!44ra peroooalltlra of tbr two domt*
aaat aoobrra of tbr auiorrary tbry are
•aa irrayrf agaiaai.
CM ♦ « ♦ »++++++ IIIH M+CM-M
z The Plot Against j
Princess Louisa i
t t
m 4*4 4 luowowmm
Ti HE TU TU .if the plot which
cau-sJ the downfall of the un
f-«r? mate and mueb-tualigned
rml I'tT'.-ss Louisa An
t.-iuett. Mane, archduchess «.f Austria
and wife .f K r. e. t rich-August. now the
mgr. rg k.; g of Saxouy has never jet
W' "n revealed.
1 ,f • ktie-.i the charming im
gi.-.-'ss ti.e Crown Princess
L- _,»a of ' : 1'iij. as she often came
.* - to the kaiserih. hut 1 had
h> • • r sj».k--tt t..g h with her until tit
E. - ■ - I «•_ tiie ctnpevnr wet.' to visit
I»r. s , He t.«-k with him. among
other i-s.j.l... of ins untitled boon
'ti' Judicial Councilor Lofe
ie.:. eg! rh.dt.v-fa .si l.i.!iger-on.
w». at tun*- possessed gr.-at in
••ra-s over him.
I. - .he ia.i»t i-ipulur wi.nmn
. - v . :.•! --rv.-diy so, f,.r hers
had hem a ’. >v e match.
Aft. r g. t S ,\..n
cr .wn }-r t •. the kaiser, in one of his
w - - al n - d'. tos-aine greutlj- at
ft■- ; t h.-r tssagse .if her frunk
n>" .-r e .if ..utdiN.r life, and her
h.g*. t-dneat. dial attainments, hence
we 1 ,.d her vi*s*mg at Potsdam
or a* m r >. Lio.. She was
know- one of the few feminine
r •> - - - -U Whom tile kaiser took the
s-.gh'-s' interest.
V gr.i: . ha., of Easter I found
i: > s- f ' :.g wi'h L-'U.sa. who. I
r* ■ .r. a h -t chariuiug and
art!'- » vn of sea-green cliilfiin.
decoi..:. of course, with jiink caruu
i-ons . . ■ -r hmr ! : feu diamonds
Upon h.-r rsjtge, as well us the « 'rd* r
,-f L ■ th a:,d her magnificent
roj.. - mat. h.-d je url* which went
tw.e, round her t.. and reached to
»
on- ■ — m.-d to Mane Antoinette.
Th« Stiry of tne Crown Prince Told.
.V> ,-batting in a corner of
li-.- r<« - watching the -cene of un
t' > • -Use .if :-|e Wills.T S
ttie pnne.— turned to me:
"We., a < uriou- thing happened
h--Te atsiut a month ago." -he said.
"I At that moment the etn
1“ r- r -he un for: of the Seeond
reg :..eu! of > sou fJreuadiers. of which
tie was chief, and wearing the Order
of t’rat. •>; -fie li 'U— .if Sax-iiiy,
►ir■■ and -‘i.air.g before U-. ex
claimed :
-W. Louisa? W hat is the very in
ter*-*’ :.g topic of conversation, eh?”
Her • ;*-nai highness hesitated, as
Uc ..mleavortnc to avoid an explan
ation but next second she waved her
sace fan quickly and said:
-W. recently Friedrich-August and
my seif have moved into rooms in the
older wing of the palace—rooms that
have not been occupied for nearly for
•y years. They are okl-world. charrn
. and remind me constantly of Au
gustus the Strong and the times in
which he lived. Just about a month
ago the king and queen of Koumania
were paying us a visit. We were at
dinner and while we were all laughing
and talking for -Carmen Sylva' had
been t« :.g us one of her stories, we
beard a great . latter of horses' hoofs
and the heavy ruthble of wheels, just
n» though a Stage coach was crossing
the small courtyard. All of us listened,
and in tlie silence we heard it receding
quite distinctly. 1 at once sent my
:> in-waiting to ascertain who had
arrived or departed. four-wheeled
■ • -! - .. mg quite unu-ual nowadays.
*' -—c—d ju>t as though the coach
-li -ut of the palace gate. The
' * grit Inn k from the guard
r no carriage had entered
1 i- to those around the
‘ • il -.-n of Kounmnla. who
1,: : :' : -crest in omens and
' ' ' ' I i~*site me. seemed
CjU‘ |* ‘ -— 1. .- ii-l e\..,j ix-rturbed.”
Ib to no.se you tii-ant must have
!“ • - a ite-ni.t.y oti<\ eh?" asked the
euii-er-rr. deeply inten -ted.
' 1 ' -,! ,'1- women at the
•able lb- ir. : that it must have been
thunder, and then the conversation
proos-b -; L however, confess to your
majesty th- • 1 was very much puzzled,
an 1 tie- i ir. so l-tsriuse only two
tdghts a_- wl-i.V we sat at dinner.
Friedrict \ is* and myself en fa
mine. we I -ard exactly the same
•ounds again:”
"Really' ughed the emperor.
“Quite unc I hope, here iu Dres
den, you ar< :. »t believing in spooks.
* London society believes in them.”
' Not at all,” said the princess ear
nestly. "I dou't believe in omens. But.
'■urioiisly enough, the king told me
y.-sterday that his two old aunts, who
formerly lived in our wing of the pal
m-e. had sometimes heard the clatter
• f horses' hoofs, the jingle of harness,
the grinding of brakes, and the rum
bling of heiivy carriage wheels.”
"H’m!” grunted the emperor. “I’ve
heard that same story before, Louisa.
The departing coach means trouble to
the reigning family.”
■'That is exactly what the king said
to me only laat evening.” answered
Louisa frankly. “Does It mean trouble
to me. I wonder?”
“Certainly not.” I declared. “Your
imperial highness need not worry for
one moment over such things. Nobody
nowadays regards such phenomena as
presage of evil. There is no doubt
*»>rae perfectly natural explanation of
the sounds. Every old palace, castle
and even private house, has its tradi
tions.”
The Kaiser’s Merry Mood.
Then the emperor, after acknowl
edging the salute of Baron Georg von
M etzseh. controller of the royal house
hold—a tall. thin, crafty-eyed man.
with hair tinged with gray, and wear
ing a dark blue uniform and many
decora tious—changed the topic of con
versation.
The kaiser was in particularly merry
mood that night. He had gone to Dres
den against hi' inclination, for he had
long ago arranged an Faster review
on the Tempelhofer Feld, Hut the visit
wu~. I knew, for the purpose of con
sultation in secret with the king of
Sux< >ny.
Several times I wondered upon what
his majesty of Saxony had stumbled.
That morning the emperor and king
hn l been closeted alone together for
fully three hours, and the outcome of
the - '-ret conference seemed to have
put the ull-liigliest into a most excel
lent mood.
The Saxon crown prince and his
wife were at that time a most devoted
..pie, though all of us knew that
•modem ideas Louisa had brought
; Drc-den from the Hapsburg court
1 i much shocked old King George
nd his consort. The Saxon court was
umi-od to a pretty women with buoy
-pints rejoicing in life with a capi
tal "L"
According to the court whisperings,
trouble liad started a few days after
marriage, when the king, having given
liis daughter-in-law a tiara of dia
monds. a royal h-irloom, with strict
injunctions to wear them just as they
were—a style of the seventeenth cen
tury—he one evening at the opera saw
h»-r wearing the stones re-set in that
style known as art nouveau. The king
became furious, and ordered them to
be set again in their original settings,
w l.ereujpon Louisa coolly returned the
present.
Such was the commencement of the
old king's ili-feeling toward her.
The state ball that night was cer
tain!;. a brilliant one for such a small
• art. and next day we all returned
t" 1'otsdum. Louisa, in a depressed
mood, for while dancing with Coual
voa Cast ell Itudenhausen of the I’rus
siau Guard her lovely rope of pearls
had suddenly parted as though cut by
u knife.
A Mysterious Absence.
r.. f.'1-e »v left Dresden, however. I
I... t the i rown princess in one of the
corridors. It was nine o'clock in the
morning. She wore her riding-habit,
hu\ ing just come in from her morning
earner.
"Well, count!" she laughed. “So
y u are leaving us unexpectedly! 1
-hull tie coining to pay another visit to
I'otsdum >" n. The emperor invited
i nte last night. Au revoir!”
Her imperial highness paid her
promised visit to the empress at the
Neues Palais in July.
At the time of her arrival the em
peror had left suddenly and gone away
to Hubertusstock. When anything un
usual upset him he always went there.
I overheard him the day before his de
parture siioutiug to Lohlein as I passed
along one of the corridors. The judi
cial councilor seemed to be trying to
pacify him, but apparently entirely
without avail.
“You are as sly as all the rest!”
I heard the emperor declare in that
shrill, high-pitched tone which always
denotes his anger. “I'll hear none of
it—no excuses. I want no fawning,
no Jew-juggling.”
The next I heard was that the kaiser
had left for that lonely retreat tc
which he went when he wished to be
alone in those periods of crazy impetu
osity which periodically seized him.
and further, that he had taken with
him his crafty crony. Lohlein.
I luring that mysterious absence—
when the tinseled world of Potsdam
seemed at peace—the good-looking
Saxon crown princess arrived.
I was on duty on the railway plat
form to bow over her hand and to wel
come her.
"Ah ! Count von Heltzendorff! Well,
did I not say that I should not be
very long before 1 returned to Pots
dam eh?" she exclaimed. Then with
a merry laugh: “Do yon remember
those clattering hoofs and my broken
rope of pearls? Nothing has hap
pened yet."
An Angry Emperor.
Three dujs later an incident occur
red v l.ieh caused me a good deal of
thought, and. truth to tell, mystified
me considerably.
That somewhat indiscreet journal,
the Militaer Wochenhlatt, had pub
lished a statement to the effect that
Friedrich-August of Saxony and the
handsome Louisa had had a violent
quarrel, a fact which caused a great
deal of gossip throughout court clr*
eles.
A LETTER FROM THE CROWN PRINCE’S PERSONAL ADJUTANT
TO WILLIAM LEQUEUX. POSSESSOR OF THE
SECRETS OF EUROPE.
Veneux Nadon.
par Moret-sur-Loing.
Seine-ct- Marne.
February loth, 1917.
My dear LeQueux:
1 have Just finished reading the proof* of your articles describing
my life as an official at the imperial court at Potsdam, and the two or
three small errors you made 1 have duly corrected.
The gross scandals and wily intrigues which 1 have related to you
were many of them known to yourself, for. as the intimate friend of
Louisa, the ex-crown princess of Saxony, you were, before the war,
closely associated with many of those at court whose names appear in
these article*.
The revelations which 1 have made, and which you have recorded
here, are but a tithe of the disclosures which I could make, and if the
world desires more. 1 shall be pleosed to furnish you with other and
even more startling details, which you may also put into print.
My service as personal adjutant to the German crown prince is. hap
pily. at an end, and now. with the treachery of Germany against civili
sation glaringly revealed. I feel. In my retirement, no compunction in
exposing all 1 know concerning the secret* of the kaiser and hi* non.
With moat cordial greeting* from
Your sincere friend.
i Signed) ERNST VON HF.LTZEN DORFF.
Old Von Donaustauf. who at that
time was master of the ceremonies at
the emperor’s court, busied himself by
spreading strafige scandals regarding
the Crown Princess Louisa. There
fore. in the circumstances, it struck
me as strange-that her highness should
have been invited to the puritanical
und hypocritical circle at Potsdam.
That afternoon, soon after the
guard had been changed. I chanced to
he writing in my room, which over
looked the big central courtyard, when
I heard the guard suddenly turn out
in great commotion, by which I knew
that his majesty had suddenly re
turned from Hubertusstock.
Ten minutes later my telephone
rang. and. passing the sentries. I went
by order to his majesty's study, that
chamber of plots and secrets, hung
with its faded green -(ilk damask, its :
furniture covered with the same mate
rial. and its net curtains at the win
j dows threaded with ribbons of the
| same shade.
The moment I entered the emperor’s
countenance showed me that he was 1
very angry. Lohlein had returned with
him. and stood watching the emperor i
as The latter impatiently paced the
room.
I saluted, awaiting orders in silence,
but so preoccupied was liis majesty
that he did not notice my presence,
but continued his outburst of furious
wrath. "Only see what Von Lloens
bro€>ch lias reportedhe cried. “I
am being made a laughing-stock—and
you know it. Lohlein 1 It has been
said of us that a woman, a whim, or
a word will today raise any person
to high rank in our empire 1 That
black-guard. Harden, has actually
dared to write it in his journal. Well,
we shall see. That woman—spe
shall—”
Suddenly he realized that I was
present, and hesitated. Next second
both his tone and his manner changed.
•’Heltzendorff—1—1—wish you to go
; to Dresden and take a private letter.
It will be ready in half an hour. Say
nothing to anyone concerning your de
parture. but report to me here at four
o’clock.”
A Secret Mission to the Saxon court.
As commanded, I reported, but the [
kaiser was with the empress, who, in j
one of her private apartments, was I
holding petit cercle, the Princess j
Louisa being present. Indeed, us I en- |
tered that semi-circular salon the I
kaiser was standing astride before
Louisa's chair, laughing gayly with
her. He could alter his moods just as
lie changed his three hundred odd uni
forms.
There was something mysterious in |
the wind—of that I felt absolutely con
vinced. The atmosphere of that faded
green upstairs room was always one
of confidential conversations, intimate j
conferences and secret plots—plots,
as has since been proved—against the
peace of the world.
The emperor, noticing that I had en
tered the imperial presence, came for
ward, and I followed him back Into the
softly-carpeted corridor. Then he took
from the inner pocket of his tunic an
envelope of what you in England call
“court" size—linen-lined, as are all en
velopes used by the emperor for his
private correspondence. I saw It had
been sealed in black by his own hand.
Then, as he handed It to me, he said:
“Go to Dresden as quickly as pos
sible and obtain a reply to this."
I clicked my heels together, and,
saluting, left upon my secret mission
to the Suxon court.
The letter was addressed to Baron
Georg von Metzsch at Dresden.
Next'day, when I presented it to the
tall, thin controller of the household,
I saw that its contents greatly puzzled
hltn.
He wrote a reply, and as imperial
messenger. I returned at once to Pots
dam, handing It to the emperor as he
strode alone from the Shell salon,
through which he was passing after
dinner.
He took it from my hand without a
word, tore open the envelope, read its
contents, and then smiled contentedly,
after which I went to old Von Eionau
stauf's room, and smoked a good cigar
in his company.
The Crown Princess Calls.
Next day we were all back at the
Berlin Schloss. During the morning
his majesty inspected the Berlin gar- !
rison in the Tempelhofer Feld, and 1
the Princess Louisa rode with him. i
That same afternoon, while I was
busy writing in the long room al
lotted to me in the Berlin Schloss. her
j imperial highness, to my surprise, en
tered, closing the door quietly after
her.
“Count von Heltzendorff. you have
been on a secret mission to that spy.
Von Metzsch, in Dresden, have you
not?”
I rose, bowed, and without replying
courteously offered her a chuir.
“Why do you not admit it?" she
asked quickly.
“Princess. If the emperor gives me
orders to preserve secrecy, then it is
my duty to obey,” I said.
“I know,” she answered, and then I
realized how upset and nervous she
seemed. "But Von Metzsch hates me,
and has put about all sorts of scandal
ous reports concerning me. Ah!
count," she sighed, “you do not know
how very unhappy I urn—how I am
surrounded by enemies!"
“I much regret t»> hear that,” I said.
"But your imperial highness hus also
many friends, of whom I hope I may
be permitted to number myself.”
"Ah! it is extremely good of you
to say that—very good. If you really
are my friend, then you can help me.
You are in a position to watch and
discover what is ir. progress—the rea
son the emperor exchanges those con
stant confidences with Von Metzsch.
the man who twisted my husband
around his little finger, and who has.
with my lady-of-the-bedchamber, Frau
von Fritsch. already poisoned his mind
against me. Ah! you have no idea
how much I have suffered!"
She seemed on the verge of a nerv
ous crisis, for I saw that in her fine
eyes stood the light of unshed tears,
and I confess I was much puzzled,
for I had certainly believed, up to that
moment, that she was on excellent
terms with her husband.
“But surely his highness, the crown
prince of Saxony, does not believe any
of those wicked reports?” I said.
“Ah! Then you have heard. Of
course, you have. Yon Metzsch has
taken good care to let the whole world
know the lies that he and the Countess
Paule Starhemberg have concocted be
tween them. It is cruel! It is
wicked!"
“No. no. Calm yourself, princess!"
I urged sympathetically. “I am at
least your friend, and will act as such,
should occasion arise."
“Ah!" she exclaimed in a low voice.
“I fear I shall require the assistance
of a friend very soon. Do you recol
lect my broken pearls?”
And a few moments later she left
the room.
“You Lie!”
through all that day ana the next
I wondered what underhand work
could be in progress. 1 pitied the good
looking. unconventional imperial prin
cess who. because of her somewhat
hoydenish high spirits, had aroused
the storm of anger and Jealousy in the
Saxon court. But the Hapsbargs had
ever heeu so unfortunate iu their loves.
tin the day before the crown prin
cess’ visit to the Berlin court was due
to end, at about six o’clock in the eve
ning. I passed the sentries and ascend
ed to the emperor’s study with some
papers I had been going through re
garding the reorganization of the Stet
tin garrison. I was one of the very
few persons ever admitted to that
wing of the palace.
As I approached the door, treading
noiselessly upon the soft carpet, I
heard voices raised excitedly, the door
being slightly ajar.
Naturally I halted. In my position I
was able to hear a great deal ot palace
intrigue, but never had I listened to a
conversation that • held me more
breathless than at that moment.
“Woman,” cried the emperor, “do
you. then, openly defy my authority?”
“What that crafty sycophant. Von
lletzsch. has told yon is, I repeat, a
foul and abominable lie,” was the re
ply.
And I knew that the unfortunate
princess was defending her reputation,
which her enemies at the court of
Suxony had torn to shreds.
"No woman ever admits the truth,
of course.” sneered the emperor. “I
consider you a disgrace to the Dresden
court.”
“So this is the manner in which you
openly insult your guests!” was the
princess’ retort. “You. who believe
yourself the idol of yyur people, now
exhibit yourself in y<mr true light as
tb» tradueer of a (lefenselAs woman!”
“How dare you utter those words to
me!” cried the all-highest one, in fury.
“I dare defend myself—even though
you may be emperor," replied Louisa,
in a cold, hard tone of defiance. “I
repeat that your allegations are un
true. and that you have no right to
make them. Surely you can see that
my enemies, headed by the king of
Saxony, are all conspiring to effect my
downfall. I know it! I have written
proof of it!”
“Bosh! You say that because you
know that the statements are true!”
"You lie!” she cried fiercely. “They
are not true. You cannot prove them."
“Very well,” answered the emperor
in that tone of cold determination that
I knew too well. “I will prove the
charges to my entire satisfaction.”
I Was startled at the manner in
which the princess had dared to call
the emperor a liar. Surely nobody
had ever done so before.
I drew a long breath, for as I crept
away unseen I recollected the kaiser's
unrelenting vindictiveness.
Poor princess : I knew that the red
talons of the Hohenzollern eagle would
sooner or later be laid heavily upon
her.
She left Berlin two hours later, hut
half an hour before her departure I
found a hurriedly scribbled note upon
my table explaining that she had had |
"a few unpleasant words with the em- j
peror,” and that she was leaving for ■
Dresden a day earlier than had been
arranged.
A fortnight passed. Twice Baron
von Metzsch came to Potsdam, and j
was on each occasion closely closeted j
with the emperor, as well as having
frequent consultations with Judicial
Councilor Lohlein. I had strong sus
picion that the conspiracy against the |
lively daughter of the Hapsburgs was 1
still in progress, for I felt assured thut
the kaiser would never forgive those
words of defiance from a woman’s lips, j
and that his vengeance, slow and sub
tle. would ussuredly fall upon her.
I did not know at the time—not, in
deed. until fully three years later—
how the actions of Von Metzsch. who
was a creature of the kaiser, had from
the first been instigated by the all- j
highest, who, from the very day of the ;
print-, ss’ marriage, had. notwithstand
ing his apparent graciousness toward !
her, determined that a Hapsburg i
should never become queen of Saxony, i
r or that reason, namely, because
the emperor In his overweening vanity
believed himself to be the heaven-sent
ruler of the destinies of the German em
pire, was much opposed to an Austrian
princess as a potential queen at L'res- •
den, and had set himself the task to ruin
the poor woman's life and love and to '
arouse such a scandal concerning her
that she could not remain in Saxony ;
with every finger pointing at her in
opprobrium and scorn.
I Decipher a Message for the Kaiser.
A fresh light, however, was thrown
upon what I afterward realized to be
an astounding conspiracy by the re
ceipt of a cipher message late one No
vember night at Potsdam. I was at
work alone with the emperor in the
pale green upstairs room, reading and
placing before him a number of state
documents to which he scrawled his
scribbly signature, when the telegram
was brought.
“Decipher that, Heltzendorff." he
commanded, and went on with the
work of reading and signing the docu
ments, while I sat down with the red
leather-covered code book, and pres
ently found that the message, which
was from Dresden, read:
“Frau von Fritsch today had an in
terview with Giron, the French tutor
to the crown princess' children, hut
unfortunately the latter refuses to ad
mit any affection for Louisa. Giron
angrily declared his intention to leave
Dresden, because of Von Fritsch's sug
gestion. Tiiis course. I saw. would be
unfortunate for our plans, therefore 1
urge tile king to induce Louisa to re
quest him to remain. She has done so.
but to no avail, and Giron left for
Brussels tonight. May I be permitted
to come to discuss with your majesty
a further elaboration of the plans?—
Von Metzsch.”
The emperor read the secret mes
sage twice.
“We go to Erfurt tomorrow, do we
not?" he said. “Telegraph in cipher
to Von Metzsch to meet us there to
morrow evening at seven. Aud de
stroy that message,” he added.
I obeyed his orders, and afterward
continued to deal with the state pa
pers, much enlightened by the news
transmitted by the emperor's creature.
I confess that I felt the deepest
sympathy for the helpless victim. At j
the Schloss, high above the old-world ,
town of Erfurt, Von Metzsch had a
long conference with the emperor, but 1
I was unable to overhear any word of
it. All I know is that the controller :
of the Saxon household left Erfurt for
Dresden by special train at midnight. I
Poor, defenseless LouisaYou. my !
dear LeQueux, to whom the princess a
few months afterward fled for advice. |
know well how sterling, how womanly ;
and honest she was; how she was one !
victim of many of the unscrupulous j
intrigues by which the arrogant war 1
lord of Germany has until the present
managed to retain his throne.
Well, I watched the course of
events; watched eagerly and daily.
Twice I had received letters from her
imperial highness, short notes in her
firm, bold handwriting.
From Von Metzsch came several
cipher messages to the emperor after
we had returned to Potsdam, but Zorn
von Bulach. my colleague, deciphered
all of them, and, as he was not my i
friend. I did not inquire as to their
purport. I knew, however, that mat
, ters in Dresden were fast approaching
a crisis, and that the unfortunate
Hapsburg princess could no longer sus
tain the cruel and unjust pressure be
ing put upon her undoing. That a hun
dred of Germany's spies and agents
provocateurs were busy I realized
from the many messages by telephone j
and telegraph passing between Berlin 1
and Dresden, and 1 felt certain that
the ruin of pour Princess Louisa was
uigh.
A significant message came to Pots
dam late one December night—a mes
sage which, "lien 1 deciphered it and
handed, it to the emperor, caused him
to smile.
I The princess had left Dresden!
Three days later, on December 9.
a further ‘-iplier telegram came from
Von Metzsch, in Dresden, which read :
“Louisa has learned of the Sonnen
stein project, and has left Salzburg
for Zurich, her brother accompanying, j
—Von Metzsch.”
Sounenstein: That was a private
lunatic asylum 1
In a few moments the kaiser had
summoned, by his private telephone.
Koehler, then chief of the Berlin se
cret police, and given orders that the
princess be watched in Switzerland.
Half an hour later three police agents
were on their way to Zurich to follow
the poor, distracted woman, even be
yond the contines of the empire.
She was, no doubt, in deadly fear j
of being sent to a living tomb, so that
her mouth should ta; closed forever.
And seeing herself surrounded by ene
mies and spies on every hand—for
even her brother Leopold, with whom
she had traveled to Switzerland, now
refused to assist her—she adopted the
only method of further escape that at
the moment presented itself.
Alone and without anyone to advise
her, she, as you know, took a desper
ate resolve, one alas! fraught with
disastrous consequences.
The iron had indeed entered the
poor princess’ soul.
Note by William LeQueux.
The denouement of this base in
trigue will be best related in her im- j
perial highness' own words. In one |
of her letters, which I have on my '
table as I write, she says:
“I saw before me in those never-to-!
be-forgotten days all the horrors of a
'Maison de Sante.' What could I do?
I was friendless in a strange hotel.
Even Leopold seemed disinclined to
be further troubled by *t runaway sis- i
ter. I knew Frau von Fritsch had ac- :
cused me falsely of having secret love j
affairs, and that the emperor had di
rected the whole plot which was to
culminate in my confinement in an
asylum. Suddenly a solution occurred
to me. I remembered Monsieur Giron,
who had already suffered great
ly through his friendship with me. If
he joined me. then my flight from
Dresden would be considered as an
elopement, and I should escape a liv
ing death in a madhouse: Monsieur
Giron was at that moment my only
friend, and it was for that reason that
I telegraphed to him at Brussels. Well,
he joined me. and by doing so complet
ed the emperor’s triumph.”
'Copyright. 1?17, by William LeQueux.)
MANY INDIAN MOUNDS FOUND
Nearly 150 Earthworks Have Been
Discovered Near the Shores of
Green Lake in Wisconsin.
A total of 147 Indian earthworks
have been found near the shores of
Green Lake in the Wisconsin county
of the same name, according to the
Wisconsin Archaeologist. Of these In
dian remains. 63 are conical mounds,
2S are oval mounds. 2S are linear
mounds. 25 are effigy mounds and 3
are inclosures.
Six Wisconsin lakes have many In- j
dian earthworks on their shores. Men
dota has 225. Koslikonong 481. Wau
hesa 184. Wingra 148. Chetek 100 and
Green Lake 147.
Many old Indian camp sites connect
ed by trails were found near Green
Lake. Tlie most Important of these
Italian highways was the Grande
I’.utte des Marts trail, which ran from
Green Bay to Portage. In Its course it
passed through Oshkosh. Ripon. south
of Green Lake, and one to Fort Win- ]
nebago. It later became the military
road from Fort Howard at Green Bay
to Fort Winnebago -at Portage.
The Winnebago Indians called Green
law "Ti-cho-ra"—“tira” meaning lake '
and “cho” green. The Chippewa In- 1
dians called it “Ojawashko Sngqlgan”
—"ojawashko" being the Chippewa
word for green. Many Indians used
the French appellations. Grand and
Petit Lac Vert.
The Lucky Horseshoe.
Writing of the horseshoe ns a safe
guard against witches. John Aubrey,
the famous English antiquary says
that in the seventeenth century most
of the houses in the West end of Lon
don were protected against witches
and evil spirits by having horseshoes
fastened to them in various ways. It
was the belief that then no witch or
evil genius could cross the threshold
that was protected by the shoe.
The custom of nailing horseshoes,
for luck, to all kinds of sailing craft
was practiced to protect the lives of
of sailors down to comparatively re
cent times. Many people, who hold
to old superstitions, consider it for
tunate to find a horseshoe, the good
luck being Increased by the number
of nails attached to the shoe when
it is picked up. This superstition can
be traced back to about the middle of
the seventeenth century, when it is
lost in obscurity.
Swing of the Job.
If you let yourself go with the sw*c*t
of a job. your mind can't be worrying
about the job you have to do next. It
is jtist free for the labor at hand.
The woman who, as she kneads
bread, stiffens her muscles unnecessar
ily for the task, sighs at her work,
or wears a brow furrowed with anxious
thought, is not in the swing of bread
making, and her nervous system *.s go
ing to pay for her not being so. While
if she lets her whole body movfc easily
to the work and keeps her mind clear
for it she will accomplish the task
without weariness.
Old Glory at Night.
With a scarcity of flags since the
declaration of war, there has been
found an original method of showing
one's patriotism. For a large porch
light, have a large glebe, on which
may be painted the American flag. On
account of bad walks in front of the
house, leave the light burning all
night, so when the large flag is tvkcti
down at sunset Old Glory is stfll ir
evidence.
MEN OF
MIDDLE AGE
Mrs. Quinn’s Experience
Ought to Help You Over
the Critical Period.
Lowell, Mass.—“For the lsst three
years I have been troubled with tne
cuaiiye 01 an'j
the bad feeling?
common at that
time. I was in a
very nervous condi
tion, with headaches
and pain a good
deal of the time so I
was unfit to do mv
work. A friend
asked me to try
Lydia E. Pinkham’s
Vegetable Com
pound, which I did.
End it has helped me in every way. I
am not nearly so nervous, no headache
or pain. I must say that Lydia EL
Pinkhc-m’s Vegetable Compound is the
best remedy any sick woman can take. ”
—Mrs. Margaret Qttnv, Rear 259
Worthen St., Lowell, Mass.
Other warning symptoms are a sense
of suffocation, hot flashes, headaches,
backaches, dread of impending evil,
timidity, sounds in the ears, palpitation
of the heart, sparks before the eyes,
irregularities, constipation, variable
appetite, weakness, inquietude, and
dizziness.
If you need special advice, write to
the Lvdia E. Pinkham Medicine Co.
(confidential), Lynn, Mass.
|!|VP||T0 WataoBK.Col««naB.Wub
I pN I ^ lBg&Ok.D.C iior, *> tree Illffe
■ II I kll I V mi reference* Best rwcllk
Small Sizes of Coal.
It is beyond question that the in
creased tonnage of anthracite ship
ments recorded during the last two
months has been largely made up of
the junior sizes. This portion of the
fuel output is assuming a much larger
share in the supplying of what may
now rightly be termed the domestic
trade. Under modern methods the use
of the smaller coals is of much import
ance in the heating arrangements of
the habitations of a large portion of
the city populace—quite as much as
the use of the sizes scheduled as do
mestic coal. It is fortunate that means
have been availed of to utilize this
tonnage to good advantage elsewhere
than in manufacturing establishments,
but the fact remains that with so large
an output of the so-called steam sizes
the retail dealer in the small places,
whore, after all, the old-fashioned do
mestic trade now has its stronghold, is
not able to count on the tonnage for
his requirements which the tonnage
statements of output would seem to
imply.—Coal Trade Journal.
Splendid Medicine
For Kidneys, Liver
and Bladder
For the past twenty years I have been
acquainted with your preparation. Swamp
Root, and all those who have had oeca
non to use such a medicine praise the
merits of Dr. Kilmer's Swamp-Root; spe
cially has it been very useful in cases of
catarrh or inflammation of the bladder. I
firmly believe that it is a very valuable
medicine and recommendable for what it
is intended.
\ ery truly touts,
DR. j. A. COPPEDGE,
Oct. 26. 1916. Alar.reed. Texas.
Prove What Swamp-Root Will Do For Yon
Send ten cents to Dr. Kilmer & Co.,
Binghamton, N. Y., for a sample sue
bottle. It will convince anyone. Y'ou
will also receive a booklet of valuable
information, telling about the kidneys
ind bladder. When writing, be sure and
mention this paper. Regular fifty-cent
end one-dollar size bottles for sale at all
drug stores —Adv.
Mean Trick.
The De Jones hack lawn was a lawn
in name only. It was really an arid
desert—bald, so to speak, and in dry
weather it was always dusty as a mo
tor track. To the astonishment of
Mrs. De Smythe, who lived next door
she one day saw her devoted husband
turning the garden hose upon the De
Jones' “lawn.”
“Well. I never!” she exclaimed. “I’m
sure I wouldn’t trouble to lay dust in
De Jones’ back yard, John, especially
as they are such hateful lot of gos
sips. Small thanks you’ll get for your
trouble, anyway."
“That’s all right, my dear. Their
darling little Fido was washed snow
white this morning. Now he's out there
rolling about like a barrel, and rubbing
the mud well into his fleecy coat.
Trust your husband, my sweet, for
real, unadulterated thoughtfulness."
What Ke Saw.
An excited man at Evansville called
the sheriff's office and asked in an
anxious tone of voice whether William
Habbe, the sheriff, knew that “three
or four Itoys were playing on the roof
of the court house.”
The sheriff didn’t but he promised to
make an investigation at once. When
Sheriff Habbe had climbed the long
flight of stairs to the cupola and look
ed out he saw—
Four tinners engaged in laying a
new cornice around the eaves of the
building.—fndianapolis News.
Exposed to Weather.
Harold Hollo*.vnut—You're coughing
awfully.
Percy Pinfeather—Yes. dash ir ' My
man tlod me smart dressers weren’t
tvyearing tiepins any more, so I left
mine off and caught a dreadful cold
in my chest.
Whenever a man begins to investi
gate a woman's cooking he mean*
business.
POST TOASTIES
are the newest and
best in corn flakes